Mpls. City Council Passes Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution

The city council unanimously passed a resolution Friday that now recognizes the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.

The move symbolically switches the focus from Christopher Columbus to the recognition of the high price Native Americans paid when Europeans arrived to the New World.

Supporters hope the symbolism will lead to real change for indigenous peoples in the forms of greater home ownership and closing the education achievement gap.

Bill Means, a Native American, calls the resolution one of the few chances in history to right a wrong. But opponents of renaming the holiday call it "political correctness" saying there are other ways to recognize the suffering of Native Americans.

The change will be noted on the city's website but will not impact any business dealings regarding its designation as a holiday or contracts with labor unions.